Indie Films

America ReFramed

America ReFramed brings to life compelling stories, personal voices and experiences that illuminate the contours of our ever-changing country. Since 2012, the series has premiered 170 films - more than half helmed by female makers and a third credited to BIPOC makers - centering stories of the LGBTQ community, people with disabilities, the formerly incarcerated, veterans, immigrants and more.

Como Vivimos (How We Live)

1h 12m

In California’s Central Valley, hundreds of Latinx youth miss months of school annually, because they live with their families in one of the state’s farmworker housing centers. These subsidized apartments require families to move out each winter and relocate at least 50 miles away before being allowed to return in the spring. These cycles of displacement come at a high cost to families’ futures.

Episodes

  • Como Vivimos (How We Live): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Como Vivimos (How We Live)

    S12 E6 - 1h 12m

    In California’s Central Valley, hundreds of Latinx youth miss months of school annually, because they live with their families in one of the state’s farmworker housing centers. These subsidized apartments require families to move out each winter and relocate at least 50 miles away before being allowed to return in the spring. These cycles of displacement come at a high cost to families’ futures.

  • In Search of Bengali Harlem: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    In Search of Bengali Harlem

    S12 E5 - 1h 22m

    As a teen, Alaudin Ullah was swept up by the energy of hip-hop and rebelled against his Bangladeshi roots. Now a playwright contending with post-9/11 Hollywood’s Islamophobia, he sets out to tell his parents’ stories. IN SEARCH OF BENGALI HARLEM tracks his quest from mid-20th-century Harlem to Bangladesh, unveiling intertwined histories of South Asian Muslims, African Americans, and Puerto Ricans.

  • Hundreds of Thousands: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Hundreds of Thousands

    S12 E4 - 20m 1s

    In HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS, a family reeling from the unjust incarceration of an ailing mentally ill loved one, calls on their faith and the strength of community to right a systemic wrong. Music, love and creativity are used to permeate the isolation of a solitary confinement cell, and a public performance on prison grounds is used to challenge the state to do better.

  • What These Walls Won't Hold: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    What These Walls Won't Hold

    S12 E3 - 43m 36s

    Transcending the grim realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, Adamu Chan's WHAT THESE WALLS WON'T HOLD paints a portrait of resilience and hope blossoming within San Quentin State Prison. Chan, formerly incarcerated himself, offers an insider's view delving into his own journey towards freedom, while amplifying the voices of his community and their loved ones on both sides of the prison walls.

  • A Woman on the Outside: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    A Woman on the Outside

    S12 E2 - 1h 23m

    After watching nearly every man in her life disappear into prison, Kristal Bush channels her struggle into reuniting other Philadelphia families divided by incarceration. But when her father and brother come home after decades behind bars, she confronts the greatest challenge yet - can she unite her own family without losing herself?

  • The Cost of Inheritance: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Cost of Inheritance

    S12 E1 - 55m 23s

    THE COST OF INHERITANCE, an America ReFramed special, explores the complex issue of reparations in the U.S. using a thoughtful approach to history, historical injustices, systemic inequities, and critical dialogue on racial conciliation. Through personal narratives, community inquiries, and scholarly insights, it aims to inspire understanding of the scope and rationale of the reparations debate.

Extras + Features

  • Hundreds of Thousands | Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Hundreds of Thousands | Preview

    S12 E4 - 30s

    In HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS, a family reeling from the unjust incarceration of an ailing mentally ill loved one, calls on their faith and the strength of community to right a systemic wrong. Music, love and creativity are used to permeate the isolation of a solitary confinement cell, and a public performance on prison grounds is used to challenge the state to do better.

  • Hundreds of Thousands | A Call for Change: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Hundreds of Thousands | A Call for Change

    S12 E4 - 54s

    Stevie Walker-Webb, who lived in a community-built prison cell for 24 hours as a representation of solitary confinement, shares his hopes and fears for incarcerated people with mental illness like his brother. Waday Walker has stayed in solitary for 122 days after being arrested during a mental health crisis.

  • Hundreds of Thousands | Brothers: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Hundreds of Thousands | Brothers

    S12 E4 - 58s

    Stevie and Waday Walker-Webb talk on the phone about Waday's wishes after he is released from prison - he was arrested during a mental health crisis. Stevie is working with family members who have incarcerated loved ones to present and protest solitary confinement through a 24-hour representation.

  • Beyond the Lens: What These Walls Won't Hold | Adamu Chan: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Beyond the Lens: What These Walls Won't Hold | Adamu Chan

    S12 E3 - 10m 26s

    Director Adamu Chan and Natasha Del Toro, host of America ReFramed, talk about WHAT THESE WALLS WON'T HOLD and the story behind the documentary. Chan, who was incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison, shares why he chose to focus on the relationships between people inside the walls and the loved ones on the outside. The director also opens up about his own experience, impact, and filmmaking.

  • What These Walls Won't Hold | A Second Chance: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    What These Walls Won't Hold | A Second Chance

    S12 E3 - 1m 9s

    Lonnie Morris once said "Me and my families, they really believe, you know, that I'm getting out of prison but it's really difficult for me to get out of prison. So I'm stuck in this kind of no man land of trying to be honest and truthful with them but not creating any illusions." But now the man incarcerated at California's San Quentin State Prison has a second chance on the outside.

  • What These Walls Won't Hold | Healing Power of Filmmaking: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    What These Walls Won't Hold | Healing Power of Filmmaking

    S12 E3 - 22s

    They say art heals and it is what director Adamu Chan discovered when he picked up a camera while incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison. Chan, who worked with others on the inside, learned filmmaking, shared his art through videos, and found a purpose that led to healing and eventually making the documentary, WHAT THESE WALLS WON'T HOLD.

  • What These Walls Won't Hold | The Root of Incarceration: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    What These Walls Won't Hold | The Root of Incarceration

    S12 E3 - 32s

    Incarcerated at California's San Quentin State Prison, Rahsaan Thomas talks with Lonnie Morris about incarceration and the inhumanity of it, including why people get involved in crime and how isolation is the root cause.

  • What These Walls Won't Hold | Best Friends: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    What These Walls Won't Hold | Best Friends

    S12 E3 - 2m 27s

    Adamu Chan and Isa Borgeson are best friends through thick and thin. Although Chan's incarceration has kept them apart, they are still able to share their hopes and dreams for the future when freedom becomes a reality. Borgeson herself has been leading an effort to support Chan and other loved ones at California's San Quentin while the COVID-19 pandemic rages inside the walls of the prison.

  • What These Walls Won't Hold | Trailer: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    What These Walls Won't Hold | Trailer

    S12 E3 - 1m 8s

    Transcending the grim realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, Adamu Chan's WHAT THESE WALLS WON'T HOLD paints a portrait of resilience and hope blossoming within San Quentin State Prison. Chan, formerly incarcerated himself, offers an insider's view delving into his own journey towards freedom, while amplifying the voices of his community and their loved ones on both sides of the prison walls.

  • What These Walls Won't Hold | Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    What These Walls Won't Hold | Preview

    S12 E3 - 30s

    Transcending the grim realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, Adamu Chan's WHAT THESE WALLS WON'T HOLD paints a portrait of resilience and hope blossoming within San Quentin State Prison. Chan, formerly incarcerated himself, offers an insider's view delving into his own journey towards freedom, while amplifying the voices of his community and their loved ones on both sides of the prison walls.

  • A Woman on the Outside | A Father and Daughter Separated: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    A Woman on the Outside | A Father and Daughter Separated

    S12 E2 - 32s

    Kristal Bush's father, Victor Bush, talks about his time served and the punishment of being away from his family, specifically his daughter. Victor, who has been incarcerated for most of Kristal's life since the early 1990s, must now build a different bridge with his whole family while finding his own way on the outside.

  • A Woman on the Outside | Trailer: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    A Woman on the Outside | Trailer

    S12 E2 - 1m 29s

    After watching nearly every man in her life disappear into prison, Kristal Bush channels her struggle into reuniting other Philadelphia families divided by incarceration. But when her father and brother come home after decades behind bars, she confronts the greatest challenge yet - can she unite her own family without losing herself?

Schedule

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